By Syd
When disaster occurs it does not only bring havoc and
chaos but disasters also tend to bring out special emotions in people. Emotions
that are not usually brought out. Typically the damage that has been done from
disasters brings a sort of devastated vibe over the people in that community.
Disasters disrupt the usual way of life that everyone goes by, and sort of puts
everything “on pause” for the time being. But when disaster strikes people are
known to put their own personal duties aside and come together as one to build
back a new and improved community. The Bicknell Indiana mine blast of 1941 for
example, was a disaster that struck the community of Bicknell and left nothing
but devastation and destruction behind. But the citizens of Bicknell were not
going to just leave it at that, they were determined to help the families in
dire need and prevent any sort of tragedy like this to ever happen again.
Bicknell
Indiana is located in the Southwest region of Indiana. Bicknell is located in
Knox County and to be more specific it is located right on the edge of the
Indiana border line near Illinois. In 1941 Bicknell Indiana was home to around
5,110 people so you could say that Bicknell was more of a small town.[1] Typically in a small town
the citizens that make up the town are “close knit” so everybody is at least
familiar with everyone. When the generations of your family have grown up in a
small town your family name gets to be very familiar with everyone. It is
almost as if the people in the town have this special bond with one another that
makes them feel like they are one big family.
During the year of 1941 America was involved in World War
II. Because we were involved in World War II this put a bigger demand on
certain products. One of the products that became very high in demand was coal.
The coal industry went soaring high in demand when we found ourselves involved in
the war. Because of the incredibly high demand for coal production during the
beginning of the war, Indiana’s coal industry found itself playing a vital
part. From the beginning year of the war in 1939 to the final year of the war
in 1945, Indiana had produced an amazing amount of coal. As just a brief
example in comparison to the production of coal in Indiana in 1941, the
production of 1942 increased by 2,700,000 tons. These are only the beginning
numbers for the production because in 1944 the production of Indiana’s mines
had exceeded the previous years by 26,000,000 tons.[2]
Since
there was a huge demand for coal in Indiana, this only meant there were plenty
of jobs available for people in the mines. Working in the mine was a
frightening job to have. Imagine going to work every day to get into an
elevator that takes you deep into Earth’s core hundreds of feet down under the
surface. Knowing that every time you take the ride down under, you may never be
coming back up. But just like every job, it has to be done. And if you lived in
Bicknell Indiana the mine was an appreciable job to have. Because Bicknell is a
small town, having the mine as possible jobs for a substantial amount of people
was a great resource. The majority of the miners that worked in the Bicknell
mine were born and raised in Bicknell. And because of this, most of the miners
knew each other and were good friends. The mine was a place that brought people
together and created great friendships. Knowing that you are going into a life
threatening situation every day has a way to bring people together.
On May 23rd,
1941 the people of Bicknell had unfortunately experienced the tragedy of losing
some of their loved ones to the Panhandle mine. Fourteen men had gone down 325
feet into the Panhandle mine for the last time and never saw daylight again. It
was recorded that the mine had exploded around 10:30 p.m. on Friday night.[3] The Bureau of Mines and
State inspectors had opened an investigation to try to find out what had
happened to cause the heavy explosion. But as the inspection was coming to a
conclusion inspectors had come to the realization that anything could have
caused the explosion and what actually caused the explosion may never be known.[4]
Once
the blast had first exploded rescue workers rushed to the scene as well as were
called over. Two teams of rescue workers had sped up to the scene to try to
rescue anyone who needed help. The first team of rescue workers who arrived
were the United States Bureau of Mines crew, while the second team was a local
rescue squad which is made up of volunteers from around the community. Since
the explosion itself had burned up the oxygen that was in the air, all that was
left was the deadly “after-damp” which puts the rescue workers in great danger.[5] The rescuers were able to
get just less than halfway from where the explosion had happened before they
were met by the poisonous gasses. This made the rescue into the mine a slow
process.[6] As the rescue process was
underway, the relatives, friends, and neighbors of the miners that were still
trapped down in the mine crowded about the shaft as they waited to hopefully
see their loved ones make it out okay. Most people who were waiting to see
their loved ones come walking out of the mine, had received nothing but
disappointing news after the long hours had passed. And for the miners who had
made it out alive, they waited to near the shaft without rest until they knew
for sure nobody else was lucky enough to make it out. [7]
As you
can imagine having this mine explode for the first time was quite the shock for
the people of Bicknell. Knowing that an explosion is possible in the mines is
one thing, but for it to actually happen to your loved ones who work in the
mine is something completely different. After a small town like Bicknell went
through such a huge tragedy, the people who make up the town wanted to be sure
that nothing like this could happen again. Because of all of the mining
accidents that were happening all around the 1940’s the federal government had
established the Federal Mine Safety Act of 1941. This Act had given the Bureau
of Mines the power and ability to send federal inspectors into mines for
whatever inspection and/or investigation was necessary.[8] By establishing this new
Act the government had thought that because inspectors would go into mines,
they could detect any future problems that might occur and hopefully prevent
them from occurring.
Mining
blasts and explosions are not always predictable. By having an inspector come
into the mine annually, it would certainly decrease the possibility of having
an explosion. But for the miners, it seemed like they truly realized that they
really have to be careful with every move that they make down in the mine. The
miners were all able to see and feel the devastation that came along with the
explosion. Because of this, the miners themselves would learn to be more
careful after such a traumatic experience.
After a
few years had passed by, some of the miners were beginning to notice that they
were not feeling as healthy as they should. It soon became apparent that
because the miners were working in the mines all day every day, they were being
exposed to harmful chemicals and substances. One of these substances that made
quite a reputation for itself in the mines was the substance of radon. Radon is
a radioactive substance that has no smell, taste, or feel to it. You would
never know that you are being exposed to radon because it was almost near
impossible to detect back in the early years. Radon gas is found to be
extremely high in some mines and because of the fact that miners could not
taste, smell, or see the gas, they were exposed to it every single day. After
being exposed to the gas for such a long time, the miners began to develop lung
cancer. The state itself had come up with the idea to try to ventilate the mine
when dealing with high amounts of radon. This way the radon has a chance to
move out of the mine and make it safer for the miners.[9]
From
the sources that I was able to find, the parties that were involved with trying
to come up with solutions for the mine explosion did not seem to have debates
or arguments. When an idea was presented about how to better the safety of
miners, it was usually looked at with great respect. The idea would be listened
to and most of the time it would be followed through to help bring as much
safety to miners as possible. The Federal Mine Safety Act of 1941 was
implemented as well as radon inspections. The miners, on top of those safety
measures, were being more attentive and careful while they were working down in
the mine.
I was
also able to learn from my research that Bicknell had some realities that I did
not know from my previous research. While Bicknell was experiencing the mine
blast of 1941, the town itself had to come together to help anyone in need. One
of the realities that I came across was that when the mine had exploded and the
rescue workers came in, they were there for so long trying to get the miners out
that they needed a place to meet and come up with plans as well as sleep and
get some rest. The town of Bicknell had offered the rescue teams the old
restaurant that was located on North Main Street right down the middle of
Bicknell, as a place to meet for plans on how to get the miners out and as a
place to rest. To me this was a great reality for the community because it was
happening right then and there and the community came together to give the
rescue workers the best possible place they had at the time. After the rescue
workers had made it through the mission of getting the bodies out of the mine,
they were free to go. But since the town now had fourteen deceased men and one
funeral home, the town had to again come together to decide where to put the
bodies that have to wait for their specific funeral. The community of Bicknell
decided to store the bodies again at the restaurant until each person had their
funeral. The reality of this was unbelievable but again it was there and
happening so the community had to come together as one and pull through.[10]
The
disaster not only helped to bring on new inspections to mines but it also
brought with it some social changes. Because this mine blast was such a big disaster,
it had a way of bringing people together. The disaster showed people that
accidents do happen and anything dangerous or devastating can happen at any
given moment. Because of this, the disaster showed the people of Bicknell that
you should always show your loved ones that you appreciate them and you should
never take life for granted. Accidents can happen at any given time and people
need to learn to cherish life while they still have it. The miners of Bicknell
have definitely learned the hard way that life is short. Some of the miners
from Bicknell had been hit so hard by this disaster that they wanted to remind
every single miner going into the mine that life is short. They did this by
hanging a sign above the shaft of the mine that read, “Work Carefully Today
That You May Enjoy Life Tomorrow”. That was seen as a friendly reminder to all
of the miners going into work.[11]
The
Bicknell mine blast of 1941 certainly brought with it devastation and chaos.
Families and friends that were involved with the mine had suffered great
losses. But the mine blast did not only bring death, it also brought change to
the community of Bicknell. The mines had changed some rules and gained more
inspections to make things safer. While the town was shown that every day you
need to cherish life while you have it. This disaster inevitably ended up
transforming the town of Bicknell into something greater.
[1] Stats
Indiana. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. .
[2] Freytag,
R. C. Indiana Magazine of History. N.p.: n.p., 1945. Print. Vol. 41 of The
Indiana Coal Industry's Part in World War II.
[3] "Gas
Impedes and Imperils Rescue Teams." Indianapolis Star [Indianapolis] 23
May 1941: n. pag. Print.
[4] "14
Miners Killed in Indiana Blast." New York Times 24 May 1941: n. pag.
Print.
[5] "Gas
Impedes and Imperils Rescue Teams." Indianapolis Star [Indianapolis] 23
May 1941: n. pag. Print.
[6] "Gas
Blamed for Tragedy at Bicknell." Didette Messenger [Valparaiso] 23 May
1941: n. pag. Print.
[7] "16
Are Dead." Greensburg (Ind.) Daily News 23 May 1941: 1-5. Print.
[8] "History
of Mine Safety and Health Legislation." United States Department of Labor.
N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
.
[9] Radon
Inspection. S.W.A.T. Environmental, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2014.
[10] The
Bicknell Newspaper. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
.
[11] "Probe
Continues in Mine Disaster." Indianapolis Star [Indianapolis] 24 May 1941:
n. pag. Print.
